Most Important Topics for Latinos in GA Going into 2024

 

With the 2024 Presidential Elections approaching, voters are concerned with various issues. Most notably, Georgia voters have recently determined the Presidential and Senate seats in recent years, voting for those who better addressed their concerns. Among Georgia voters, 400,000 registered voters are Latinos, accounting for 5% of the voting population in Georgia. Also, according to the 2020 Census in Georgia, Latinos currently make up 10.5% of the population, amounting to over 1 million Latinos. 

Although Latinos only make up 5% of the voting population in Georgia, that "5%" often determines the outcome of the election, as seen in the Senatorial race when Warnock defeated Walker by only a 2.8% margin. Now, with the 2024 elections quickly approaching, it is important to know the major concerns of Latinos in Georgia. On November 1st, 2023, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials shared the results of their Puente Para La Gente survey, which aimed at capturing the needs of Latinos in Georgia. This survey highlighted various key findings, among which shows us the top concerns. Currently, the top concerns for Latinos are: 1) Rising cost of living/ inflations at 47%, 2) Improving wages/ creating more jobs at 35%, 3) Lowering the cost of health care at 30%, 4) Protecting immigrant rights at 24%, and 5) Mass shootings and gun safety policy at 20%. 

Realistically, I was not as shocked with the findings as I thought I would be. I agree with mostly everyone's concern being the rising cost of prices as it affects society as a whole. However, I did think there would be a higher percentage of Latinos wanting to protect immigrant rights. I think a key factor that places into it would be that under the Biden Administration, there has not been any threatening policies towards immigrants. However, considering Trump's Administration was really harsh on migrants, I do believe that the percentage could rise under an Administration that treats migrants so negatively.